Tim Cutajar

I am a PhD student at the Centre for Ecosystem Science, UNSW Sydney, with the Australian Museum and the University of Copenhagen.

I am interested in innovations that can improve our understanding of biodiversity and species’ distributions to inform conservation.

My research involves the development of iDNA (invertebrate-derived DNA) methods for increasing the detectably of amphibian species that are difficult to detect using traditional techniques. This work is currently focused on the host/parasite relationship between frogs and frog-seeking hematophagous flies in the genera Corethrella, Sycorax and Uranotaenia.

Professional Memberships:

Program Officer, IUCN Amphibian Red List Authority, since 2015.

Qualifications:

Bachelor of Science (Biology) (Hons. Class 1)

UNSW Sydney, Australia (2019).

Bachelor of Biodiversity & Conservation

Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia (2014).

2023

• Cutajar, T. P., & Pulsford, S. A. (2023) Incidental invertebrate-derived DNA detection of invasive and threatened species in temperate dry Southeast Australian forest. Austral Ecology 00, 1– 13. https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13307

2022

• Cutajar, T., & Rowley, J. J. L. (2022). The utility of acoustic citizen science data in understanding geographic distributions of morphologically conserved species: frogs in the Litoria phyllochroa species group. Journal of Herpetology. 56 (3): 318–323.
• Mahony, S. M., Cutajar, T., Rowley, J. J. L. (2022). A new species of Delma Gray 1831 (Squamata: Pygopodidae) from the Hunter Valley and Liverpool Plains of New South Wales. Zootaxa 5162 (5): 541–556. abstract
• Cutajar, T.P., Portway, C.D., Gillard, G.L. and Rowley, J.J.L. (2022). Australian Frog Atlas: species’ distribution maps informed by the FrogID dataset. Technical Reports of the Australian Museum, Online 36: 1–48. full text

2021

• Tapley, B., Nguyen, L.T., Nguyen, C.T., Hoang, G.T. & Cutajar, T.P. (2021) Oviposition sites of the Hoang Lien Horned Frog, Megophrys hoanglienensis (Tapley et al., 2018). Herpetology Notes. 14: 937-939. full text.
• Tapley, B., Cutajar, T., Nguyen. L.T., Portway, C., Mahony, S., Nguyen, C.T., Harding, L., Luong, H.V., & Rowley, J.J.L. (2021). A new potentially Endangered species of Megophrys from Mount Ky Quan San, northwest Vietnam. Journal of Natural History. 54: 2543-2575. full text.

2020

• Alabai, M., Esau, T., Kekeubata, E., Esau, D., Waneagea, J., Lobotalau, L., Alick, J., Silas, J., Solome, L., Waneagea, J., Mousisi, K., Cutajar, T.P., Portway, C.D., MacLaren, D.J., & Rowley, J.J.L. (2020). Apparent absence of the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in frogs in Malaita Province, Solomon Islands. Pacific Conservation Biology. https://doi.org/10.1071/PC20047
• Nguyen, L. T., Tapley, B., Cutajar, T., Nguyen, C.T., Portway, C., Harding, L., Luong, H.V. & Rowley, J.J.L. (2020). A description of the tadpole of the Critically Endangered Botsford’s leaf-litter frog (Leptobrachella botsfordi) with comments on the distribution and conservation status of the species. Zootaxa. 4860: 293–300. abstract.
• Tapley, B., Nguyen, L.T., Cutajar, T., Nguyen, C.T., Portway, C., Van Luong, H., and Rowley, J.J.L. (2020). The tadpoles of five Megophrys Horned frogs (Amphibia: Megophryidae) from the Hoang Lien Range, Vietnam. Zootaxa, 4845 (1): 35–52. abstract
• Tapley, B., Nguyen, L.T., Portway, C., Cutajar, T., Nguyen, C.T., Van Luong, H., Kane, D., Harding, L. & Rowley, J.J.L. (2020) A point endemic no more; a range extension for Oreolalax sterlingae (Nguyen et al., 2013) in Bat Xat District, Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam. Herpetology Notes. 13, 497-500.full text
• Portway, C.D., Cutajar, T.P., King, A. & Rowley, J.J.L. (2020) First evidence of the amphibian chytrid fungus likely driving dramatic frog community changes on the New England Tablelands of Eastern Australia. Herpetological Review. 51 (2), 247-251.
• Portway, C.D., Cutajar, T.P. & Rowley, J.J.L. (2020) Survey for amphibian chytrid fungus infection in the enigmatic Green-thighed Frog (Litoria brevipalmata). Herpetological Review. 51 (2), 252-253.
• Cutajar, T.P. and Rowley, J.J.L. (2020) Surveying frogs from the bellies of their parasites: invertebrate-derived DNA as a novel survey method for frogs. Global Ecology & Conservation. e00978.
• Cutajar, T.P., Rowley, J.J.L., Nguyen, L.T., Nguyen, C.T., Portway, C., Harding, L., Luong, H.V. and Tapley, B. (2020) The advertisement call of Megophrys jingdongensis Fei and Ye, 1983 and a new record from Lai Chau Province, Northeast Vietnam. Herpetology Notes. 13: 139-143.

2019

• Nguyen, L.T., Tapley, B., Cutajar, T.P., Nguyen, C.T., Portway, C., Harding, L., Van Luong, H. and Rowley, J.J.L. (2019) The first records of Limnonectes nguyenorum Mcleod, Kurlbaum & Hoang (Amphibia: Anura: Dicroglossidae) from lao Cai Province, northwest Vietnam. Proceedings of the 4th National Scientific Conference on Amphibians and Reptiles in Vietnam.
• Rowley, J.J., Callaghan, C.T., Cutajar, T.P., Portway, C., Potter, K., Mahony, S., Trembath, D.F., Flemons, P. & Woods, A. (2019) FrogID: Citizen Scientists provide validated biodiversity data on frogs of Australia. Herpetological Conservation and Biology. 14 (1): 155-170.

2018

• Rowley, J.J.L. & Cutajar, T.P. (2018) Rediscovery of the Booroolong Frog Litoria booroolongensis on the Australian New England Tablelands after more than 40 years.Herpetological Review. 49: 620-621.
• Tapley, B., Cutajar, T.P., Nguyen, L.T., Nguyen, C.T., Harding, L., Portway, C., Van Luong, H. & Rowley, J.J.L. (2018) A new locality and elevation extension for Megophrys rubrimera (Tapley et al., 2017) in Bat Xat Nature Reserve, Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam. Herpetology Notes. 11: 865-868.
• Tapley, B., Cutajar, T.P., Mahony, S., Nguyen, C.T., Dau, V.Q., Luong, A.M., Le, D.T., Nguyen, T.T., Nguyen, T.Q., Portway, C. & Luong, H.V. (2018) Two new and potentially highly threatened Megophrys Horned frogs (Amphibia: Megophryidae) from Indochina’s highest mountains. Zootaxa. 4508 (3): 301-333.

2017

• Tapley, B., Rowley, J.J.L., Cutajar, T.P., Mahony, S., Nguyen, C.T., Vinh, D.Q., Nguyen, T.T. & Luong, V.H. (2017) The Vietnamese population of Megophrys kuatunensis(Amphibia: Megophryidae) represents a new species of Asian horned frog from Vietnam and southern China. Zootaxa. 4344 (3): 465-492.
• Rowley, J.J.L., Dau, V.Q., Hoang, H.D., Le, D.T.T., Cutajar, T.P. & Nguyen, T.T. (2017) A new species of Leptolalax (Anura: Megophryidae) from northern Vietnam. Zootaxa. 4243 (3): 544-564.

2016

• Rowley, J.J.L., Shepherd, C.R., Stuart, B.L., Nguyen, T.Q., Hoang, H.D., Cutajar, T.P., Wogan, G.O.U. & Phimmachak, S. (2016) Estimating the global trade in Southeast Asian Newts. Biological Conservation. 199: 96-100.